Fever Days And Sleepless Nights
by enchantedsleeper
Summary: After fighting in the rain, Kenshin and Sano both get a fever. But while Sano gets better, Kenshin gets worse, and when Kaoru gets sick too it is up to Sano and Yahiko to run the dojo. MAJOR DISASTER RECIPE! KxK SxM Not the world's best summary
1. Prologuethingy

**Author's Notes: **Well, I'm running out of things to say here. I got the idea for this fic from a lot of other, similar fics I've read. This is my first fanfic with multiple chapters. Joy upon all joys! And if you will enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed daydreaming it up in class, YAY!

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Prologue thingy**

Sanosuke dropped the last unconscious guy to the ground on top of the heap. "There."

"They are all unconscious, that they are," observed Kenshin.

"Bakas got what they deserved," Sano replied. "They shouldn't have tried to gang up on us."

"We'd better get back to the dojo before Kaoru-dono starts to worry," said his red-haired companion, rain dripping off his bangs.

"Yeah," agreed the tori-atama, his rooster style hair looking flat and wet. Kenshin picked up the tofu bucket Kaoru had sent him to pick up, and they turned and headed back to the dojo, already drenched as they had been fighting in the pouring rain. As they neared the dojo it began to rain harder and they heard the distant rumble of thunder. Sano swore. "Jou-chan's gonna be out of her mind!"

They reached the dojo and got inside just as lightning lit up the sky. They stood, dripping a pool of water onto the floor and looking sideways at each other. In a matter of seconds Kaoru was upon them, fire in her eyes.

"WHERE have you BEEN?" she screeched, and the famous bokken appeared, as usual hitting its target square on the head. An oro-ing Kenshin went down with swirly eyes, and Kaoru rounded on Sanosuke, who held up his hands.

"Take it easy, Jou-chan! We got what you wanted." Sano held up the tofu bucket. "But then a bunch of thugs decided to jump us on our way back, and we got caught in the rain."

Kaoru was still mad, but her anger subsided and she brought them both a towel to dry themselves off with as Sano hauled Kenshin to his feet. She settled with glaring at the wet pair as they dried themselves.

"Stupid bakas," she muttered. "I won't be surprised if you two both catch cold."

"We'll be fine, Jou-chan," Sano assured her. "It's just a little rain."


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Here is the first chapter, which comes the night after the prologue. BTW, this isn't exactly a romantic fic but I put that anyway cause there is KK and SM in it. If there was a fluff genre, I would so put that!

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 1**

All the occupants of the dojo had gone to sleep, except for Kenshin. He couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. Which he didn't, seeing as the last few nights had been haunted by nightmares and memories from the revolution: the black envelopes which ruled his life, the hundreds of nameless and faceless people slaughtered, Tomoe, his sword, the smell of blood.

Quietly Kenshin slid back the door to his room, wincing as it squeaked ever so slightly. He knew from the snores that Sanosuke and Yahiko were both asleep, and he hoped to Kami Kaoru-dono was too. He didn't want her to worry.

Kaoru was in fact sitting up against her wall. She heard the squeak of Kenshin's door and nodded to herself. She hadn't laid down comfortably on her futon so that she would be awake to hear if Kenshin went anywhere. It was easy to tell just by looking at him that he hadn't been sleeping recently, so she decided to sit up one night and catch him up. Kaoru knew she would probably be tired in the morning for teaching her students, but if she was right, Kenshin hadn't slept in days.

Kenshin walked on silent, cat-like feet past Kaoru's door. Then he slid open the dojo door, which also made a slight sound (which he hoped Sano and Yahiko's snoring would cover up) and stepped onto the porch.

Kaoru waited for a couple of seconds before sliding open her own door and heading out to the porch. Ex-Hitokiri Battousai he might be, but he was no match for squeaky doors.

Kenshin drew his knees up to his chest and stared across the grounds. Behind him, Kaoru slid open the door. Kenshin didn't turn, having sensed her ki.

"Hello Kaoru-dono," he said softly. "Have you come to look at the stars too?"

Kaoru opened her mouth to interrogate him, but then he turned round and smiled, much closer to a genuine smile than his trademark Rurouni smile. She wavered, and followed his gaze up to the heavens. The stars really did look remarkably bright tonight. She sat down beside him.

As Kenshin's eyes roved the heavens, Kaoru admired the way the moonlight played across Kenshin's fiery hair, which looked a lot darker by night, though still an unusual colour. Her fingers itched to play with it, and her hand reached out of its own accord. But then Kenshin turned to look at her again, and Kaoru pretended she had been yawning, which was a mistake. Kenshin frowned.

"Are you tired, Kaoru-dono? You should be sleeping, that you should."

"And what about you, Kenshin?" asked Kaoru, seizing the opening. "You need sleep just as much as I do."

"Do not worry about Sessha, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin assured her. "Sessha is used to it, Sessha often goes without sleep." He gave his Rurouni smile, and it was only when Kaoru raised her eyebrows that he realised he shouldn't have said that.

"Oro…." he muttered as he saw the look on Kaoru's face.

"Kenshin no baka! What makes you think you don't need sleep like the rest of us?" Kaoru demanded.

"Oro…" repeated Kenshin.

"Don't you 'oro' me! Now get your rurouni butt inside and get some sleep, or else I'll knock you out with my bokken and drag you!"

"But, Kaoru-dono, Sessha-" Kenshin began to protest. He stopped short when he saw Kaoru meant what she said and allowed himself to be dragged back into the dojo, muttering a string of oros.

"Now I don't want to have to stay awake worrying about you," said Kaoru sweetly, pushing him through his door, "so get some sleep, okay?"

"Yes Kaoru-dono. Goodnight," Kenshin replied obediently.

"Night Kenshin."


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Chapter 2! Sessha gets bored of just reading sometimes, that she does. So instead she writes…

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 2**

Coming into the clinic early in the morning, Megumi was surprised to find a certain rooster head already there.

"What brings you here, rooster?" she asked surprised. "Not been in another fight, have you?"

"Nah…got a really bad headache…ugh…" Sano muttered.

"It's called a hangover, baka," retorted Megumi. Sano shook his head.

"I swear I didn't touch the sake," he said honestly, and Megumi saw he was telling the truth. Frowning, she went over to feel his forehead, withdrawing her hand almost instantly.

"Itai! You've got a really high fever!" she exclaimed.

"Told…you so…" Sano managed to say. Dimly he registered something cool being pressed to his forehead as Megumi held a wet cloth to his burning skin.

"Hold that there and tell me," she said, all business, "what you might have been doing to get in this state?"

Sano took longer than usual to remember, but the coolness on his head helped, and he remembered the previous afternoon's events.

"Kenshin and I… got attacked by some gang on the way back… from the market," he said slowly. "We beat them, but it was… pouring with rain…and we got soaked…" He smiled weakly. "Jou-chan was furious…"

"Well in that case," said Megumi briskly, "Ken-san will probably be ill too."

Sanosuke shook his head. "He'll never admit to being ill." He grinned. "He'll probably try and do chores like usual. Can never keep him away from that laundry."

"This is serious, baka," said Megumi seriously. "Ken-san will only make himself worse by trying to do chores, and what you two have might be contagious." She picked up her first-aid kit. "We'll have to go over to the dojo. You can come, and see if Kaoru will have you. But," she glared at him, "if you end up being a burden to her, you'll have to answer to me."

"Maa, maa," said Sano, holding up his hands as he had done with Kaoru. "I swear I'll be good." He followed her out of the door muttering, "Women…."

Kenshin slowly opened his eyes and dimly registered the brightness of everything around him. The sun was already up! But he didn't want to get up….his eyelids felt especially heavy and so did the rest of his body. It must have been because he slept so much last night. He was getting lazy. He cursed himself for that lapse and slowly heaved himself into a sitting position. He was aching all over and his body complained at every move he made. What was wrong with him? He shook his head, but that only made the room spin. Why was he like this?

With a great effort he managed to stand up, swaying unsteadily on his feet. He looked out of the window and noticed with relief that it was still early, the sun had only just risen. Which was a shame, because he liked to watch it rise; he did it every morning. Still, he couldn't hear Kaoru up and from the snores it seemed Yahiko was still asleep. But it seemed quieter – what was missing? Perhaps Sanosuke had stopped snoring.

It was only then that Kenshin realised he'd been standing in the middle of the room doing nothing for quite a while. With more mental curses he made his way slowly to the kitchen, ready to make breakfast as usual.

"Kenshin?"

Kaoru came into the kitchen in the morning to see Kenshin standing at the stove, staring into the miso soup he was making.

"…Are you okay?" Kaoru peered closely at Kenshin, who jerked out of a doze.

"Daijoubu (sp?) Kaoru-dono, gomen nasai," apologized Kenshin, begin to stir the soup again. "Sumenai, Sessha overslept…"

"It doesn't look like it," Kaoru commented. Kenshin's face was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes.

In a few minutes Kenshin had served up breakfast to Kaoru and a hungry Yahiko, who began to stuff the food down without a second's hesitation. Kaoru looked at her breakfast in a funny way for a second before beginning to eat it.

"Is it alright Kaoru-dono?" asked Kenshin anxiously.

"Hai, hai, it's very good," Kaoru assured him. "But there seems to be more than usual…"

"Don't worry, Kaoru-dono, Sessha is not using more than usual," Kenshin reassured her. Kaoru frowned as she put two and two together.

"Kenshin, aren't you having any?" Kenshin shook his head. "Sessha is not hungry, de gozaru yo." Kaoru stared at him worriedly until Yahiko said,

"Oi, busu, are you gonna eat that?"

"DON'T CALL ME BUSU!"

After breakfast Kenshin was going to do the laundry, but Kaoru stopped him. He looked too tired.

"You don't need to, Kenshin, there isn't much to do. You did it all yesterday," she reminded him. Kenshin frowned, puzzled; he did the laundry almost every day, if not daily. "Why don't you have a rest instead?" Kaoru suggested. "You look tired."

"Sessha is not tired, de gozaru yo," Kenshin assured her. "Sessha can do anything."

Kaoru twisted her mouth, unconvinced, but she said, "Well, I could use some help cleaning the dojo floors…"

"Of course, de gozaru!" said Kenshin cheerfully. Kaoru worriedly watched him go and fetch a broom, before shaking it off and going to order Yahiko about some more.

About ten minutes later Kaoru found Kenshin asleep against the wall, the broom resting against his shoulder. She noted with concern that this was how he used to sleep during the Revolution, but with a sword instead of a broom. She wondered whether to wake him or not, given that he needed to sleep. Quietly she approached him, and although he was a light sleeper, he didn't stir. She crouched down in front of him and gazed worriedly at his pale face, noticing how his cross-shaped scar stood out against his pale skin. Tentatively she reached out to trace the scar with one finger, only to withdraw her hand with a sharp intake of breath. At this, Kenshin's eyes fluttered open and he smiled a rurouni smile at her.

"Ohayo, Kaoru-dono," he greeted her. Then he looked around and realised he'd fallen asleep in the middle of a chore. His eyes opened wider.

"Gomen, gomen, Kaoru-dono!" he exclaimed as if she was going to tell him off. He lurched unsteadily to his feet, blinking through the haze that clouded his vision, and the pounding headache he had somehow acquired. "Sessha-" He broke off as Kaoru, looking perplexed, put a hand to his forehead. "….Koru-dono?" he asked worriedly.

"Kenshin, you're burning up!" she cried. "Why didn't you tell me? You've got a really high fever!"

"Sessha feels fine, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin muttered, although it was the complete opposite of the truth.

"That can't be true," Kaoru said, "you're so pale…"

"Really, there is no need to worry about Sessha." Kenshin attempted to take a couple of steps forward, swayed dangerously, and nearly overbalanced. Kaoru hastily put a hand on his shoulder, calling, "YAHIKO! Go get Megumi!"

"No need," came a familiar voice. The fox doctor entered the dojo, a very sick and sorry-looking Sanosuke in tow. She grinned. "Looks like we're going to have our hands full with these two for a while. Ohohohohohoho!"

**Glossary of Japanese words**

**Baka – **idiot

**Sake – **Japanese wine, or alcohol

**Maa, maa – **basically, 'calm down'

**Daijoubu – **I'm alright/it's alright

**Kaoru-dono – **Miss Kaoru

**Gomen nasai, sumenai – **sorry

**Sessha – **this unworthy one – Kenshin's name for himself

**De gozaru, de gozaru yo – **basically, Kenshin's way of being really polite

**Hai – **yes/okay

**Busu – **ugly

**Ohayo – **good morning


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Chapter 3 is up and running yay! I would like to thank all the luvverly reviews that did review my humble fic. I am eternally in your debt. bows low o()o

So, I shall repay my debt…by updating!

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 3**

_Megumi was right, _thought Kaoru exhaustedly as she ran to fetch Sanosuke's third cup of tea. Sano had behaved himself while the fox doctor was here, but as soon as she returned to her clinic his demands had gradually increased. Kaoru catered to his every whim in light of his burning fever, but she wished his throat wasn't quite so dry, and that he didn't constantly require a cold cloth, or alternate between hot and cold so that she was forever fetching and carrying blankets. If he had been well, she would have brought her bokken for a well-deserved meeting with the baka's head, but instead she exercised her frustration on Yahiko, which wasn't really fair.

Of course, Kenshin was a complete angel, which made life a lot easier and should have taken a load off her mind. Instead she was still forever worrying about him, convinced that he was hiding his pain like he had done so many times before, in order to prevent her worrying. He insisted he was fine, but she wished she could watch over him all the time and not have to answer to Sano's demands.

"Kenshin? I brought you some tea," said Kaoru softly, walking into Kenshin's room carrying the cup. The sick rurouni was lying on his side on his futon, his back facing her, but when he heard her voice and picked up her ki he turned over, and opened his beautiful violet eyes.

"Thank you, Kaoru-dono," he said hoarsely, with a sweet smile. Weakly he struggled to raise himself into a sitting position, and gratefully took the tea. Weary herself, Kaoru sat down on the floor beside him and stifled a yawn. Not much got by Kenshin, however, sick or not, and he looked at her with concern over the rim of the cup.

"You look exhausted, Kaoru-dono," he said anxiously. Kaoru could tell he was worried about being a burden to her. _Baka Kenshin! He's always thinking about everyone else… _

"I'm fine," she said, quite sternly. "You're definitely worse off than I am."

"Sessha is fine, that he is," Kenshin said impatiently. "Has Sano being keeping you on your feet all the time Kaoru-dono?"

"Yeah, he's even more demanding when he's sick, and his appetite doesn't seem to have diminished any," Kaoru admitted.

"You should fetch Megumi-dono, that you should," Kenshin advised her, his eyes twinkling. "She would sort him out, and she could give you a hand."

That sounded a good idea, so Kaoru had Yahiko fetch Megumi, provided she wasn't too busy. Apparently she wasn't, as she came straight away, maintaining that business at her clinic was slow. Kaoru was sure, however, that she just wanted an excuse to come and swap insults with Sano. She was glad to let Megumi have her fun, while she kept an eye on Kenshin.

When she returned to Kenshin's room after Megumi had set Sano straight, Kenshin was sleeping uneasily, turning over frequently and frowning in his sleep. Idly she wondered what was going on inside his head. No doubt his demons were back to haunt him. Kaoru went over and placed a cool hand gently on his burning forehead, and his frown lessened a little. She wished she could do more than just ease his fever. It was clear the pain ran deeper than what met the eye.

It was peaceful and quiet in Kenshin's room, and sitting with her back to Kenshin's wall Kaoru could keep an eye on him without having to exert herself. Soon however she found her eyelids slowly closing as she drifted off into sleep.

She was shaking awake by Megumi about half an hour later.

"Kaoru. Kaoru!" said Megumi sharply.

"Hm? Wha?" Kaoru asked sleepily, opening her eyes.

"Kaoru no baka! You look awful! Get yourself to bed this instant!" ordered Megumi.

"But I've got to stay up for Kenshin and Sano's sake!" protested Kaoru.

"You need to get some sleep too once in a while. If I can manage that tori-atama I can definitely look after Ken-san," said Megumi. Normally Kaoru would have stubbornly insisted she stay and keep watch over Kenshin, but she was so, so tired…

"Can I sleep in Kenshin's room?" she asked tiredly, not realising until after she said it the implications of what she'd asked. Megumi let out her trademark fox laugh.

"Ohohohohoho! Of _course_ you can!" she said wickedly, a gleam in her eye.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Kaoru protested hastily. "But I want to make sure Kenshin's okay."

"Of _course_ you do," said Megumi, in the same way, a wicked grin on her face. But after a death-glare from Kaoru, she helped her move her futon and some blankets into Kenshin's room, where Kenshin was still sleeping fitfully. While she was at it, Megumi felt Kenshin's forehead. She looked worried.

"His fever is still very high, it hasn't gone down like the rooster's," she said anxiously. She gave Kaoru some medicine for Kenshin before saying she had to get back to the clinic. Kaoru lay wearily down on her futon and instantly fell asleep.

**More Author's Notes: **Well that was a kind of non-entry, but you get good ones and you get bad ones. You might've liked it anyway, and an update is an update, right? The next one'll probably be more eventful.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **Ah, Chapter 4… I've had the beginning of this in my head for a while, but never actually put it up on screen. I've made another two fanfics, but haven't actually posted them yet. So many ideas, so little time…

And thank you so to all who review! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

**N.B: I've changed the rating for this story, it is now a PG. I think it should have been from the start, I guess. If you don't like death, you might want to skip the italic writing.**

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 4**

_Kaoru ran down the long, dark corridor, breath coming in sharp gasps, as fast as if she was being pursued by wolves. She dared not stop for breath, for fear the…thing….would catch up to her. So she ran on._

_Eventually she came to a fork in the corridor. The corridor ran on for a short while both ways before stopping short at a door. But which door to take? Kaoru spent only a second wondering, before dashing through the right door. _

_Except in this case it was obviously the wrong door. As she blinked and her eyes adjusted to the gloom a horrible sight came into being – the bodies of her friends, Yahiko, Sano, Megumi, Misao, Aoshi, Tsubame, Tae…and a lot of other people she knew…scattered across the floor. Kaoru covered her mouth in horror. All of them had been killed in the exact same way – a sword, knife or dagger quickly through the heart._

_Feeling sick, Kaoru backed hastily out of the room, a voice in her head crying, **"Why? Why?"** Fearing what she was to see, Kaoru entered instead the left-hand door, and she gasped at the sight that met her eyes._

_An amber-eyed, red-haired man with a high ponytail was standing over the wounded body of her own dear rurouni. Kaoru's stomach did a flip._ **Kenshin!** _She looked to the face of the amber-eyed man._ **The Battousai….**

_Before her terrified eyes, the Battousai raised his sword, the blade pointing downwards, and brought it down…._

"KENSHIN!!!"

"KAORU!!!"

Kaoru awoke with a start and jerked upright on her futon, as the other occupant of the room did exactly the same, yelling out her name. Both suddenly found themselves staring into the others' face.

"YAAAH!" they both yelled simultaneously. Kaoru sat there, panting from the shock of waking up and being face to face with someone from her dream. Kenshin scrambled backwards in fright and slumped against the wall, breathing heavily, sweat beads on his forehead.

"K-Kaoru-dono," Kenshin managed to choke out. _She frightened me so! To wake up from that nightmare and come face to face with her…what is she doing in my room? Why was she sleeping in here? Is she all right? She must have had a nightmare too…but I mustn't let her know about mine…mustn't let her worry…_

Kaoru began to get her breath back, and looking across the room, she felt sorry for Kenshin. _To wake up like that and see me in his room…He's already sick, and after that nightmare – I must have scared him really badly! But when he woke up…did he yell my name? I wonder what he was dreaming about…Well, I won't let him hide it from me this time. I'm going to get him to tell me every little detail…_

Kenshin finally regained his breath and sat up against the wall, wiping his sweaty forehead with the sleeve of his yukata. He smiled weakly at her.

"You gave me a fright Kaoru-dono, that you did," he said. He frowned. "Are you all right? Did you have a bad dream, de gozaru?

Kaoru slowed her breathing down, though her heart continued to pound. "Hai…" she admitted, shuddering inwardly at the gruesome pictures of the dream. She looked at Kenshin, who was beginning to shiver, even though it wasn't cold. "Did you have a nightmare too?"

"Hai, but it was nothing," Kenshin dismissed.

"Do you think we could have had the same dream?" asked Kaoru. "We had them on the same night and all."

Kenshin smiled. "I doubt it, de gozaru."

"No, you're right," Kaoru agreed. _His was probably about the Revolution… _Smiling sympathetically at the shivering rurouni, she got up and put her blanket around him before returning to her own futon.

"Sessha is alright, Kaoru-dono," protested Kenshin. "You need this."

"No, _you_ need it," she said firmly. "I can always get another one."

"Arigatou, Kaoru-dono."

They both sat in silence for a while, each pondering their own dreams. Then Kaoru remembered she was supposed to be finding out what Kenshin's nightmare was about. She looked sideways at him, and then turned her head to look at him properly, frowning worriedly.

Kenshin's head was down, his bangs casting shadows over his eyes, hiding them from view. The side of his face she could see was the side marked by the cross-shaped scar, and as before it stood out more than usual against his pale skin. His shoulders role and fell slowly, shaking with every shuddering breath he took, and he was still shivering slightly. As she noticed this, his arms came up to wrap the blanket more tightly around him, and he looked up at her.

"Daijoubu Kaoru-dono?" he asked anxiously.

"Hai, hai," she assured him. Then she got up and draped a spare blanket over his shoulders.

"Kaoru-dono, really, Sessha is fine," insisted Kenshin.

"Really," said Kaoru, raising her eyebrows. She put a hand out and touched the back of it to Kenshin's burning forehead. Kenshin flinched ever so slightly at the feel of her cold hand against his hot skin.

"Kenshin no baka! I'll give you fine! You've still got a really high fever!" she scolded him. "You should get back to sleep."

"Ano…Kaoru-dono…" began Kenshin, and then fell silent. He didn't want to have that nightmare again, but neither did he want to tell Kaoru that. So he said nothing.

"Is it the nightmare?" asked Kaoru softly, and Kenshin turned his head to stare at her. How did she know…? Well, it was probably obvious. He obviously hadn't done a good enough job of hiding it. Time to act.

First, he put on a rurouni smile, to cover up any feelings that might be showing on his face. Then he put her mind at ease. "Sessha is just fine," he said cheerfully.

Now to change the subject, to divert the course of the conversation. He peered at her face worriedly.

"Kaoru-dono, have you been sleeping enough?" he asked her. "You don't look so good, de gozaru."

It was true; Kaoru had a tired look in her eyes, and bags underneath them. Kaoru fell for it, for the moment anyway.

"Do I?" she asked, frowning. "I have been getting enough sleep, really." She smiled half-heartedly. "I guess it was all that waiting on Sano."

Kenshin smiled too. "You ought to go back to sleep, de gozaru."

Kaoru was about to agree when she suddenly realised how the topic had changed. Kenshin was an absolute master at diverting attention away from himself, and she fell for it time and time again. But not this time.

"It's sweet of you to worry about me Kenshin," she said, "but I'm not the one with a fever." Before he could dismiss this again, she continued, "I worry about _you_. You never tell us anything about your past, or what's troubling you. We're your friends Kenshin. We're here to help you. You've been there for us so many times, so we're here for you. You're not a burden to us, Kenshin. We're lucky to have a friend like you."

Kenshin just stared at her. "Lucky?" he echoed. Kaoru nodded and smiled at him, but he turned his head away and looked down at the futon, twisting the blanket between his fingers. He mumbled something.

"What was that, Kenshin?"

Kenshin looked up at her, his eyes shinier than usual. "Sessha doesn't deserve friends like you, that he doesn't," he said unhappily. Kaoru wanted to hit him over the head with her bokken. He was so _dense! _Really, he just didn't get it. But she kept calm and said simply,

"You are just as deserving of us as we are of you. You're not a hitokiri any more, Kenshin. You're not unworthy."

"Oro?" said Kenshin startled. "I'm not?"

"Of course not." _He didn't say 'Sessha'! He said 'I'! Maybe he's getting better after all!_

Kenshin didn't say anything for a long time, and neither did Kaoru. But it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence. If one of them had spoken, it would have spoilt things really. So they just sat and thought, and Kaoru hoped against hope her words had gotten through.

Eventually Kenshin seemed to come to some sort of conclusion, for he looked up at her again and smiled. "Arigatou Kaoru-dono. We should be getting to sleep now, that we should."

"Hai," Kaoru agreed. She got up and fetched a couple of extra blankets before laying down on her futon. "Good night, Kenshin."

"Good night, Kaoru-dono."

**Author's Notes: **Awwwww…. So sweet…. I'm drowning in maple sap. Ah well, review peoples please. The next chapter won't be quite so sappy, that it won't. Things start to get funny!


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: **Yay! Chapta numba five! readers sweatdrop Ahem… I've been looking forward to writing this one I think it'll be fun to write :D

Many many thanks go to Unicornfan, who gave me a link to translated Rurouni Kenshin manga so I can finally start reading it for myself! YAY!

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 5**

Kaoru awoke the next morning with an aching head and streaming eyes. Not to mention that her throat felt like someone had stripped out the insides (very painfully) and replaced them with sandpaper.

She slowly sat up and noticed with concern that Kenshin was attempting to rise to his feet.

"Kenshin? What are you doing?" she croaked hoarsely.

Thankfully, Kenshin's attention was distracted and he sat back down again, looking at her with worry.

"Kaoru-dono, you look awful," he said truthfully.

"Kenshin no baka! I _feel_ awful!" said Kaoru. Way to state the obvious.

Not having the strength to stand up, Kenshin instead crawled over to her futon and placed a gentle hand on her forehead.

"Kaoru-dono, you also have a fever," he said gravely. "Sessha must fetch Megumi-dono, or get Yahiko to do so."

"Kenshin, _you_ can't go!" exclaimed Kaoru. She had to stop doing this talking thing; it was agony. But she couldn't let him go. "Please, stay here and look after me," she begged before breaking off in a fit of coughing.

"Alright," Kenshin consented, coughing also.

The two invalids sat like that for a while, racked with painful hacking coughs, until finally Sano poked his head round the door, having been woken up by the noise.

"What's up with you, Kenshin?" he asked, then his eyes widened and a grin broke out across his face as he saw Kaoru.

"Hey Jou-chan! You two been spending the night together?"

Kaoru gave him a death glare amidst her coughing. Sano frowned.

"Don't tell me you're sick too. It's a good thing I'm better now."

"Yes, you can go and get Megumi-dono," said Kenshin, his throat completely dry.

Sano went off to wake Yahiko upand send him to fetch Megumi.

Megumi diagnosed Kaoru as having the same illness as Sano had had, and Kenshin still had.

"Just stay in bed, and don't try to do anything," she said. "The rooster here can take care of things. I'd stay, but I have to get back to the clinic. Good luck," she added with a fox-like smile.

"Sooo," said Sano brightly as he turned to the pair. "Want some breakfast?"

Kaoru blanched, and Kenshin only managed to shake his head while coughing still. Sano sighed and rolled his eyes. It was definitely going to be tough with these two sick and all.

For the next hour or so Kenshin and Kaoru slept or just sat and comforted each other with their presence and a weak smile or two. Sano looked in on them and thought they were asleep, but then Kaoru sat up and tugged at his sleeve.

"Hn? What is it, Jou-chan?" asked Sano, sitting down to get to her level.

"Sano…my students will be here any minute…we can't turn them away," Kaoru whispered. "You'll have to teach them…"

Sano was about to protest, but he looked at the sick woman's pleading eyes and knew he had to say yes, if just to put her mind at ease.

"Don't worry Jou-chan," he smiled. "Yahiko and I will teach them." From the other side of the room, Kenshin groaned in his sleep. Kaoru turned to him, and Sano went off, shaking his head at their predicament.

"Oi Yahiko!" Sano said as he came across the boy, who was relishing his freedom. "C'mon, we can't stop work just because Jou-chan's sick. Her pupils will be here soon, and we gotta teach them, for her sake."

"Awwww," Yahiko complained. "How am I supposed to teach them? I'm a student myself!"

"Come on Yahiko," Sano said impatiently, "Jou-chan's always been there for us, it's time we were there for her."

"All right," Yahiko grumbled…

Kaoru and Kenshin lay side by side, on separate futons, parallel to each other. A kenjutsu teacher and an ex-hitokiri. Red hair and black. Blue eyes and violet.

Sleepy eyelids lifted, to reveal said violet eyes, tired yet strangely happy. Kenshin turned his head to look at the sleeping angel next to him, and raised himself up on one unsteady arm to smile at her. _She's so beautiful…_

His smile faded as Kaoru turned over, coughing weakly and sweating, her sleep no longer a peaceful one. What Kenshin wouldn't give to see those beautiful eyes open again, to light up with happiness, or even with anger… To see her better, he would gladly sacrifice his own health. Such as it was.

Kenshin lay down again and slowly slipped into an uneasy sleep.

…Yahiko stood in front of the row of students, uncomfortable under their curious gaze. "Uh, hi," he said tentatively.

"Where's sensei?" asked one. "Who are you?" asked someone else.

"I'm Myojin Yahiko, Tokyo samurai," said Yahiko importantly. "Kaoru's got a fever, so me and Sanosuke are gonna teach you."

From the porch, reclining lazily against a pillar, Sano waved and grinned.

"Sano! Get your lazy butt over here and help me out!" Yahiko yelled. The students sweatdropped.

"Keep your hair on, I'm coming!" Sano ambled over to Yahiko and smirked. "You know, you sounded almost like Jou-chan right then. You'd better be careful you don't turn into her."

A vein popped on Yahiko's forehead but he controlled himself and turned to the waiting students, who were yawning and tapping their feet impatiently. Yahiko sweatdropped as he realised he didn't have a clue what to do.

"How am I supposed to teach them? What do I do?" Sano shrugged. "What does Jou-chan tell you to do?"

"Ah…right." Yahiko turned and addressed the students. "Okay everyone, I want you to do 1,000 swings!"

The students just stared at him like this O.O

"1,000 swings!" one of them asked incredulously.

"Er…isn't that what you usually have to do?" said Yahiko.

"No," someone else said. "Kaoru only asks us to do 100 at a time."

"Oh. Right. Do that then." Witch many sideways glances and rolling of eyes, the students complied.

"Way to go, kid," Sano muttered sarcastically.

"Shut up! It's your fault! That's what Kaoru always tells me to do."

"Yeah, right after you call her 'hag' and insult her cooking," Sano replied.

Yahiko: . ……..

Kenshin sat bolt upright on his futon, dizzy from his sudden awakening. He'd had the most horrible nightmare! He dreamt that he hadn't finished the laundry…and Kaoru had to wear a dirty kimono…then she hit him over the head with her bokken… He shivered at the memory and slowly got up, careful not to awaken Kaoru. He was feeling unusually hot for some reason, and he had a headache…however, laundry was laundry and had to be done. He stumbled unsteadily towards the door and out onto the porch. ((Or wherever he does the laundry)) Soon, he was up to his elbows in soapy laundry water, scrubbing clothes. There were so many! He couldn't remember the last time he'd done laundry. He couldn't seem to remember much, actually… But laundry was good, he could remember laundry. He did it every day. Except when he needed to go to the market…

Megumi smiled as she entered the dojo through the gate, having finished at the clinic for the time being. Here was Kenshin, doing the laundry, as usual. She frowned, about to greet him. Wasn't he sick? He had a high fever the last time she saw him, surely he couldn't have got better so quickly…

Kenshin looked up from the laundry and smiled as he saw Megumi. There was uncertainty behind the smile, however; he didn't seem to sense her coming. Still, she didn't need to know that. She might worry. "Ohayo, Megumi-dono!"

"Kenshin, what are you doing?" Megumi asked him.

"Um, laundry?" Kenshin said, figuring from the tone of her voice he was doing something he shouldn't. "Shouldn't I be?"

"No, baka! You should be in bed! You're sick!"

"Am I?" Kenshin seemed genuinely surprised, and Megumi felt his forehead worriedly. Still hot. "Hmmm, maybe you're delirious…" she pondered out loud.

"Oro?" said Kenshin. "Delirious, de gozaru?"

Megumi looked her favourite patient up and down. "You seem to be yourself," she said, "but you shouldn't be up, laundry or no laundry. Come on, let's get back inside. How's Kaoru?"

Kenshin frowned for a moment, and then gasped as he remembered. "Kaoru-dono! She's sick!"

"Yes, don't you remember?" Megumi frowned. "But don't worry, I'm sure she's all right," she added at the stricken expression on his face.

Kaoru was sleeping a light feverish sleep when they entered the room, and woke up immediately. Her face was flushed.

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin dropped onto his knees and put a hand to her cheek. "Sessha is so sorry for leaving you…"

Kaoru smiled weakly. "It's all right…" she said before her speech gave over to coughing. Megumi shook her head.

"I'll make you two some tea," she said, "and something for your fever. Stay there. Where IS that baka rooster?"

The rooster-head in question was learning the hard way it wasn't so easy teaching kenjutsu. He made a mental note to insult Kaoru a little less. Yahiko, on the other hand, was thinking how easy Kaoru's students had it. The hag worked him much harder! They also weren't very good, he thought, walking round correcting their grips. One of them had it COMPLETELY the wrong way. He showed the guy how to do it the right way, muttering, "You don't hold a bokken like that, stupid…"

"Oi!" said the student indignantly, hearing him. "What did you call me?"

"Well you did have it completely the wrong way round," said Yahiko, unrepentant.

"It's easier that way! I usually hold it like that; it works just as well as the other way."

"Oh yeah?" said Yahiko. "Bet it doesn't work as well."

"It does!"

"Prove it."

The challenge was undisguised. Yahiko and his opponent got into fighting positions, with their respective grips. The rest of the students gathered round curiously to watch, Sano among them smirking. Yahiko was gonna make mincemeat out of this kid.

"I warn you, I'm the best in this class," said the student confidently.

"Oh yeah?" said Yahiko. "Well I'm in a whole new class. I'm from a long line of Tokyo samurais!"

"I'm still going to beat you." And with that, the student launched an attack on Yahiko, and the battle commenced.

**Author's notes: **Well, I think I'll leave it there! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. Please don't hate me! Just let me know how I did in this chapter. I was trying to get the balance between fluff and humour, and not put the focus on Kenshin all the time. Although, we all do love him!

By the way, I wrote an Inuyasha fic which so far has only one reviewer! T.T Now maybe I'm getting too used to the good life of having lots of readers, but I don't really feel like carrying on if no one's going to read it. I know I should be used to it, what with the amount of people who take my quizzes, but they're different; I couldn't not write them. I live by my quizzes. So if you think you'd like them, go to Quizilla (dot com) and look for me!


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: **Chapter six! -trumpets sound-

I turn round- Quiet in the back there please.

Ahem. I am updating! (As you can see) Or you might say, I am holding up my end of the deal with AuburnMoonlight. I said if she updated, I would update, so here I am, updating. But once you've done reading my update, go read her fics! They are really very good and seriously do not get enough reviewers.

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

Also people, I changed the word 'bokken' in Chapter 5 to 'shinai'. Just in case ya get confused XD

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 6**

"Here, drink this." Megumi pushed a cup of some bitter sort of medicine towards Kaoru. She took a sip, shuddered, and then drank the whole thing down in one gulp. Making a face, she lay back against the pillows. Kenshin was watching her anxiously. "Do you feel better now, Kaoru-dono?"

"It's difficult to tell…" said Kaoru, "but hai, I am sure Megumi's medicine will make me feel better soon."

Kenshin looked relieved, and Megumi pushed a cup towards him. "Ken-san, you need to drink some as well." Kenshin waved the cup away. "Sessha is fine, de gozaru."

"Uh huh," said Megumi, disbelievingly. "Drink."

"Sessha-"

"Just drink it!"

Reluctantly, Kenshin drank the horrible medicine, and although it burned his sore throat going down, he felt much better for it afterwards, and tired, too. Both fell into a deep sleep, and Megumi returned to the clinic.

Yahiko swung his shinai up to shoulder height, barely blocking his opponent's first attack. _Kuso, he's fast…._he thought as the guy sprang away and then came at him again. But Yahiko had also felt from just blocking that first attack, that the student didn't have much power behind his blows, probably due to the reversed grip. So it would be a good idea to go on the offensive, and force him back.

Confidently, Yahiko set about looking for an opening he could use to strike. Granted, the guy was good, but everyone made mistakes.

"Ha!" cried the boy triumphantly as he struck Yahiko's left side. "See-" But before he could begin to boast, Yahiko swung his shinai up, forcing the guy to block. He had deliberately let his opponent get that hit in, so that he could attack.

"You'll have to do better than that," the student said arrogantly, but he was losing the battle of shinai against shinai as Yahiko slowly forced him back.

_Hmm, the guy's not as weak as I thought. Must be because Sensei trains him specially. Not to mention he was the first student of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, _thought the student. The two boys simultaneously leapt apart, landing a few feet away from each other. _Still, I **will** beat him! _

The other students could be heard cheering on their classmate, and he took confidence from this, and went on the attack again. This time, instead of blocking, Yahiko ducked, and swung his shinai up and into his opponent's stomach. The guy dropped his shinai and clutched his stomach, winded by the blow. _He's…..strong!_

Yahiko moved behind the boy and gave him a tap on the back of the head for good measure. "Do I win?"

The guy just moaned and put one hand to his head. Yahiko pressed his shinai lightly to the guy's throat. "If this was a real katana, you could be dead. Do you admit defeat?"

_No, I can't have lost to this kid! But I really don't have the strength to stand up…_

"OK, you win…" the student mumbled in defeat. He sank to his knees, groaning.

Yahiko grinned and dropped his shinai to his side. "Well, good battle," he said, offering his opponent a hand. The student shook it weakly, still in pain.

"Seriously, I didn't know whether I was going to win or lose that one," Yahiko continued. "You really-"

He was cut off as a gentle voice sounded from the porch. "What is going on, de gozaru?"

Kenshin stirred in his heavy medicine-induced slumber, lying next to Kaoru on his futon. For a while, he was content. His nightmares couldn't reach him through the solid wall of healing that was around him. But then his sleep lightened, and they began to break through. Soon he was tossing and turning frequently, struggling to break free. Then suddenly, he woke up, and sat up slowly. He felt hot, but had more strength than he had before. Surely he was getting better? Unlike last time, he remembered everything; why he felt ill and that Kaoru was ill too, but at the same time, he felt like he could get up. It couldn't be good to just lie around all day; who would do the chores?

Focusing on his surroundings, he heard the sound of cheering, and felt to battle ki. _What is going on?_ He wondered.

Yahiko stared at Kenshin, as did Sano. The rest of the class, not knowing he was sick, greeted him politely and he returned the greeting.

"Ano…just a little sparring," explained Yahiko before turning to the students. "Class is over now." They began to leave as Sano went over to Kenshin. "Buddy, you shouldn't be up."

Kenshin just smiled. "I feel fine, de gozaru, Megumi-dono's medicine works well."

"What about Jou-chan?" Sano pressed. "How's she?"

"When I left her, she was still sleeping, de gozaru," Kenshin replied, "and I have been gone not five minutes."

Sano nodded in agreement and Kenshin went off to do laundry.

By some miracle this time Kenshin actually managed to finish the laundry. But afterwards, he was feeling dizzy and faint, and his back hurt from bending over that washtub. He straightened up slowly, and went off to his bedroom, telling himself he would only lie down for a little while. He collapsed on the futon and soon fell fast asleep.

Strangely, as soon as Kenshin fell asleep Kaoru woke up, and rolled over to look at the sleeping rurouni, having no idea he'd been gone at all. Like Kenshin, she felt much better, but didn't feel so compelled to move or do anything except just lie there. She moved some bangs from Kenshin's forehead and put her hand to his brow. It was still hot but not as bad as before. Satisfied, she fell back to sleep.

It was getting late and Sano and Yahiko's stomachs were rumbling. But there was no one well enough to make food for them. Both having finished working/gambling for the day, they were at a loss for what to do.

"Well isn't there some food here?" said Yahiko.

"Do you know how to cook food?" asked Sano.

"No, do you?"

"No."

They both lapsed into silence until suddenly Yahiko said,

"I know! Let's eat at the Akebeko!"

"Not such a good idea…they kinda hate me there, I've run up a huge tab. Tae will be after my blood," said Sano ruefully. Yahiko rolled his eyes and glared. "Ahou freeloader."

"Hey, watch your mouth, kid!"

"Hey yourself, I can just go and eat at the Akabeko if I want to! I _work_ there!"

"Yeah, but you'll still have to pay," Sano reminded him. "Whereas," he continued getting up, "there is free food here. We're used to eating Jou-chan's cooking, so anything we cook has gotta taste better."

"True." Yahiko had to agree. He moved over and examined the shelving on the wall. It was filled with food, herbs and spices, but something was missing….

"Doesn't busu even have a _cookbook_?"

"It would appear not," said Sano, coming over. "Though it probably wouldn't make much difference anyway."

"When's her birthday?" asked Yahiko. "I have gotta get her a recipe book."

"So you're actually planning on getting her a present this year?"

"Hey!" Yahiko scowled. "I got her one last year! I cleaned the dojo floors!"

"Not that she wouldn't have made you clean them anyway. And the floor was so shiny clean she slipped over and fell – while she was chasing you for insulting her again," said Sano, grinning at the memory.

"Who cares? Kenshin caught her, anyway."

Sano nodded and they were both silent for a moment, remembering the way Kaoru had blushed after that happened.

"They make a good couple."

"Hai."

"You wanna start cooking?"

"Aa."

**Author's notes:** This should be _fun! _Yahiko and Sano try to cook! With both of them in the kitchen, the result will probably be worse than anything Kaoru could come up with.

It _would_ be fun to write, but something's not right…

My friend Auburn Moonlight isn't getting enough readers/reviewers for her fics. That no make me very happy. And if I'm not happy, I don't write. Not in the mood, you see?

But I get quite a few people reading my fics. So what if those people took a moment out of their time to read and review a few excellent fics. Doesn't sound too hard, does it? SO READ AUBURN MOONLIGHT'S FICS! Pweeeease…..


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: -**waves flag- Chapter seven – finally! I'm working on some humour in this chapter – if you remember, Yahiko and Sano are about to try and cook something. A freeloader and a ten-year-old? For all they criticise Kaoru's cooking, I think I'd rather have hers than theirs any day.

**Usual Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

BY THE WAY: I know there have got to be limits to Sano and Yahiko's stupidity, but come on, it's funny! So for the sake of humour, in this chapter they are going to be really, _really_ stupid. Capisi?

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 7**

"So, um, what are we making?" asked Yahiko, pulling a few random things off the shelves.

"How about miso soup?" suggested Sano. "It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Ok. So what's in miso soup?"

"Don't you know?" asked Sano. "Don't you even look at what you're eating?"

"No, not really. Do you have any idea what's in miso soup?" challenged Yahiko.

"Vegetables, I think," replied Sano with a shrug. "Where does Jou-chan keep the vegetables?"

After locating them, he set them out and said,

"So soup's basically boiled water and vegetables, isn't it?"

"Uh huh," confirmed Yahiko. "I'll go get some water."

Minutes later he returned with a bucket of water from the well. "Here we go, we can boil this." So they set the metal bucket above the flames to boil.

Soon steam was rising from the bucket and the water was bubbling. "Is it boiling now?"

"Probably, but let's leave it on while we put in the vegetables." Sano picked up a carrot and examined it. "Wonder what this orange bit is for….vegetables are supposed to be green, aren't they?" So he cut off the main part of the carrot with a knife and dropped in the leaves. "There we go."

Yahiko meanwhile had taken a tomato and was preparing to cut it. He positioned the knife and then pressed down on the fruit, only to receive a jet of tomato juice and pips in the face.

"Ahahahaha!" Sano laughed until his sides hurt at the 'Tokyo samurai' trying to cook. Grimacing, Yahiko threw the squished tomato at the freeloader. It hit him square in the face, and then bounced off and fell into the soup.

"Nice one, ahou," commented Sano. He inspected a large radish. "Why is this thing pink?"

"Dunno," Yahiko shrugged. "It looks like Kenshin's gi."

"Oh yeah! I knew I recognised the colour from somewhere."

At that point their highly intellectual discussion was cut off by them noticing that the air was rather…steamy.

"Man it's hot in here," observed Sano. He waved a hand in front of his face to disperse some of the steam. "How's the soup doing?"

Yahiko looked round and managed to track the source of the steam to the metal bucket on the fire.

"Well actually…it's kind of boiling over," he said. The bubbling by now had reached a climax and it was very hard to see. Things in the kitchen were now more like blurry steam-obscured shapes.

"Take the soup off the fire!" commanded Sano. For once not arguing back, Yahiko took hold of the handle of the bucket and yelled out. "YEOOOWCH!"

"What's the matter?" asked Sano as Yahiko cradled his burnt hand.

"Hothothothothot!" cried Yahiko, jumping up and down. He ran outside and doused his hand in a tub of now-cold laundry water. "Ahhhhhh…." he sighed.

Sano rolled his eyes. Flexing his fingers, he grasped the dreaded bucket handle and in one swift movement, lifted it off the fire and placed it the table, which was nearby. Between congratulating himself on conquering the Bucket of Doom and nursing his once again injured hand, he failed to notice what he'd done until he smelled a funny smell.

"Hey, what's that?" he asked Yahiko, who was coming back in. "It smells like burning."

"I dun-" began Yahiko, and then realised Sano's mistake. "SANO! You put a hot bucket on a wooden table!"

"Ah…whoops," said Sano as he took the bucket off the table, revealing a large round burn mark on the table. "Uh oh…"

Meanwhile in his room, Kenshin was once again asleep and dreaming of the horrors of the Revolution. Memories of a burning village came to his mind: houses aflame, people running, people screaming, and the smell of burning…

With a start, he awakened. The last vestiges of the dream lingered around him. Kenshin sniffed. He could swear he could smell burning still…

He wasn't dreaming! He really could smell burning! Hurriedly, Kenshin shook Kaoru's shoulder. "Kaoru-dono! Kaoru-dono, wake up! Sessha smells burning!"

A sleepy Kaoru was effectively roused by Kenshin's words and the smell coming from the kitchen. She gasped and sat up abruptly. "Kenshin, what's happening?" she cried.

"I don't know, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin replied, getting up swiftly and going over to the door. Kaoru followed him.

Sano and Yahiko waved their arms about in front of their faces in an effort to be able to see. Sano set the rapidly cooling bucket down on the floor and peered inside. All that was left of their 'soup' was a few centimetres of water, some shrivelled carrot leaves and a squashed tomato. Yahiko was about to comment on their culinary skills compared to Kaoru's, when a surprised "ORO!" drew both of their attentions towards the door. Kenshin and Kaoru were standing in the doorway, both still wearing yukatas. Kenshin's expression was completely bemused, Kaoru's livid. Yahiko and Sano both sweatdropped, but before either of them could attempt to explain, Kaoru the vengeful tanuki screeched,

"WHAT DID YOU TWO DO TO MY KITCHEN?"

**Author's notes: **Uh oh…Sano and Yahiko are in trouble! This chapter was kind of short, I think, but nonetheless, I updated! Seeings as Kaoru and Kenshin are both pretty much better (Kaoru got her voice back, at least!) next chapter might be the last, or the one after that. It depends.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: -**grins innocently- Uh…long time no see? Eheheh…. -sweatdrops- Huh? I took a long time to update? Where did you get that idea from? This update has been here all along….didn't you notice?

**Disclaimer: **I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

**Fever Days and Sleepless Nights**

**Chapter 8**

_Deep breaths Kaoru…in…and out…in…and…out…_Kaoru mentally instructed herself. _Just ignore the fact that there's a HUGE ROUND BURN MARK on the kitchen table... pay no attention to the two USELESS IDIOTS standing right in front of you…think of Kenshin, that's right, what will he think if you lose control…?_

Sano and Yahiko stood guiltily in the middle of the kitchen floor, not daring to break the silence that had followed Kaoru's impressive outburst. Yahiko stuck a finger in one of his ears and wiggled it around. He was sure there was something ruptured in there…he couldn't hear a thing! Surely that wasn't because there was nothing to hear; after all, this was Kaoru they were all dealing with.

When Kaoru spoke, her voice was soft and venomous, and they had to all strain to hear it.

"Would you two care to explain why there is a huge burn mark on the table? Or why the room was filled with steam, making me and Kenshin think something was wrong! Kami forbid we should ever worry about you two!" Kaoru's voice rose steadily. Kenshin sidled away, excusing himself by muttering about having to 'do some laundry, de gozaru'. Kaoru didn't even seem to notice, putting all her energy and focus into glaring death at Sano and Yahiko. Sano wisely remained silent, figuring it would be safer to let Kaoru use up all her pent-up anger. But there was a reason that the other residents of the dojo had lost count of the number of times Kaoru hit Yahiko with her bokken. He always managed to put his foot in it.

"Come on busu, it's not like you could have done any better."

One of Kaoru's eyes twitched dangerously and Sano began to back away. But Yahiko missed the warning signals and carried on,

"What we did was nothing compared to the last hundred times you tried to cook."

**WHACK**

Sano shook his head, bending over Yahiko's unconscious form, a mega-lump beginning to form on top of the Tokyo samurai's head. "You never seem to learn, do you?"

"As for **you**, baka tori atama…." began Kaoru. Sano put his hands up hastily.

"Uh, did you see where Kenshin went? I think he's trying to do chores again. You oughta be careful, else he'll overwork himself," said Sano quickly in the hopes of distracting Kaoru. Kaoru looked around momentarily and realised Kenshin wasn't where he'd been standing a good ten minutes ago. Smirking, Sano made a hasty escape, only to be stopped short by something wooden colliding painfully with his head. Soon he was in a similar state to Yahiko, while Kaoru, victorious, went looking for the elusive rurouni.

Kenshin was found just sitting on the front porch, for once not trying to work, just sort of staring into space. Kaoru approached him, wondering if she should say something, yet not wanting to bring him out of his reverie. However, Kenshin turned around and smiled at her, and the last vestiges of anger faded from her mood. She flopped down next to him. "Those two…."

"They were only trying to cook," Kenshin said mildly. "We should be grateful that they did something for themselves for once, even if it didn't turn out too well."

"Hmm, I guess," Kaoru replied, unconvinced.

A good two hours or so later, Yahiko and Sano woke up, each with a splitting headache. Yahiko proceeded to clean the dojo floors without any protest, for fear of further evoking Kaoru's wrath, while Sano decided, on reflection, that he'd be better off further away from Kaoru, and took his leave.

Kaoru stretched, dressed in her yukata after the bath Kenshin had prepared for her.

"Well, I think I'll go to bed early tonight. I'm so tired…. You ought to too, Kenshin. Technically we're both still sick…"

He nodded. "Hai, Kaoru-dono. Sessha will go to sleep now." He went off to his room, and Kaoru and Yahiko also went to theirs.

Sano wandered slowly along the streets, his hands on his pockets. The prospect of another night alone in his house didn't seem appealing, however it was getting dark and there was nowhere else for him to go.

Still, he decided to pay the Fox a little visit before he went home.


End file.
